Headlight-adjuster for automobiles.



H. W. BOLLINGER.

HEADLIGHT ADJUSTER ma AUTOMOBILES.

APPLlOATION FILE!) MAY 1914.

Patented Mar.23, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Witwamm H. W. BOLLINGER.

HEADLIGHT ADJUSTER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY G, 1914.

Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

QvVC-naweo ,HENRY W. ROLLING-ER, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

HEADLIGHT-ADJUSTER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed May 6. 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be'iitknown that I, Hnxiiv IV. BuLHXMiR. a citizen of the United States. residing at Altoona, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Headlight-Ad justers for Auti'imobiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automobiles, and has for its primary object in'iproved means for actuating pivotally mounted headlights. independent of each other, through the medium of the steering iiiei -li:.niisiii of the car, yet separate and apart from the same.

Another object of this device is to provide an improved headlight mechanism whereby, when the car to which the lights are attached iii-rounding a curve, the light on the inside of the curve will throw its rays in a direction parallel to thelane of the, front Wheels, while the lamp on the outer side Of the curve will throw its rays parall l to the plane of the car.

A further object of this device is to provide a simple pivotal lamp bracket adapted to he operated through the medium of the steering gear, while the pivotal brackets are entirely disconnected from each other in such manner that when the car is operating on a tangent the lamps will each throw its rays parallel to the plane of the car. and not be affected by the irregularities of line oi movement over the road, thus tending in a very practical way to ohtain a steady light in straight-ahead travel as well as to illuminate the inside and the outside of the curve when the car leaves the tangent.

A still further object of this device is to provide a mechanism that is extremely simpie and which also reduces the rattling noise to a minimum, and at the same time provides a positive and reliable device which is of a pleasing mechanical appearance on the car.

With these and many other objects in view. which will he more readily apparent the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will he hereinafter fully pointed out. illustrated and claimed.

It will be quite readily understood by those in the art to which this helongs. tha' si-t }S device is susccptil'ile to dit- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 23, v1915.

Serial No. 836.690.

fen-ht. structural formations without departin; from the spirit or scope of the invention, but a preferred and thoroughly practical embodiment of the same is shown in the accom panyiug drawings in which- Figure l is a plan view of the front por-' tion of an automobile having my improved pivotal headlight installed thereon. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the. parts shown in Fig. l, and clearly illustrates the independent feature of the lamp brackets, as well as the means by which they are both operated. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2, showing only the lamp bracket to the left in Fig. Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-l of Fig. '2, and fully illustrates the abutment bracket stop attached to the frame of the car. Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the pivotal lamp brackets which support the head light.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

In carrying out this invention no change is contemplated in the usual headlamps, the steering gear of the car or the location of the lamps on the car. nor do I prefer to add extra parts to the car, other than those a l'isolutely necessary for proper functionin; ot' the mechanism and to thi end I position the usual headlight bracket,j designated by the numeral v10 in its caring socket 11 which is rigidly attached to the car frame. 12 or similar rigid position. The bracket 10 is provided at its lower end with a socket meinher ll, which preferably engages the square portion 15 of the bracket 10 and carries an arm 16 positioned at right angles to the lamp bracket and having the free end 17 bent back in alinement with the cal body as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The bracket 10 is further providcd with a collar 18 formed integral with the body 19. Immediately below the collar 18 there is formed a cylindrical bearing portion 20 which is adapted to rotatably lit in the socket ll. Immediately below the hearing socket- 11 there is positioned a clamping collar 21 which performs the "function of holding the bracket inftl e socket such that any tendency to rattle is-- entirely eliminated. hracket 10 henormally held such that the rays of light are projected ahead of the car, parallel to the bo y there f, 8. 116 1061,

In order that the sprin 22 is providedone end of which is rigidy secured. to the bearing socket 11 while the other is secured to the bracket, and any efl'ort to turn the lamp is thus resisted by the spring.

A cross bar 23 of the steering gear 24 is provided with upstanding lamp bracket e rga U1" arms '25, each of which is pron e with a T-headed abutment or angle portion 26, a necessary provision due to the variable heights of the :car body by virtue of the springs 27. Normally the T-head 26 does not engage the lamp bracket extension, and is designedonly to engage when the. heels are turned.

For the purpose of keeping the lamp in proper alinement with reference to the car. I have provided a stop 28 adapted to engage a cam shaped abutment 29 on the collar 18 and it will be further obvious that one lamp is affected-at a time While the other remains rigid with reference to the car-I From the foregoing it will be obvious that the morement of the headlight is entirely dependent upon the action of the steering gear, and further it will be observed that when the car is driven straight ahead, the lamps both throw their rays directly ahead of the car, unaffected by the varying motions ofthe car.

Without further description and elaboration it is thought that the many advantages of the herein described headlight operating mechanism will be readily apparent and an upstanding T-headed engaging bracket adapted to he clamped to a steering gear element and arranged to engage the angled extension of the lamp bracket.

"2. A head light operating mechanism including in combination with the car'body and the steering gear, a stationary bracket support carried by the car body, an oscillating bracket element for the head light having a bearing in said support, a socket member detachably fitted to the iower end of said bracket element, a return spring mounted on the lower end of said oscillating bracket and engaging therewith, a rearwardly disposed arm carried by thesocket member, and 'an"upstanding T-headed op-u crating member adapted to be clamped toa steering gear element to engage the rearward extension on the socket.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY W. BOL-LINGER. Witnesses N. E. Gus, C. L. BoLLiNGER. 

